Sharjah Ladies Club yesteday organised its annual Our Heritage activity on the occasion of Hag Al Laila, a night which falls on the 15th day of the month of Shaaban. The function included many heritage activities and was attended by a large number of the club’s members and their children.

The activity took place at the club’s Kunooz ballroom in collaboration with the Department of Culture and Information’s Directorate of Heritage and the Department of Children Centres. The initiative is in line with the Club’s efforts to put smiles on the faces of youngsters and teach them genuine Emirati traditions with the aim to preserving the traditional heritage of the country.

At the start of the activity, Khawla Al Serkal, Director of Sharjah Ladies Club, toured the associated heritage exhibition which featured a variety of antique items belonging to different eras in the history of the Emirate, and the workshops on preparing traditional food and sweets, which were organised in collaboration with Handicraft Centre in Sharjah.

A group of girls from the Department of Children Centres in Sharjah performed folk songs and dance ensembles inspired by the glorious past of the UAE. Later, children and their mothers enjoyed a live stage show, for the first time in Sharjah, by Shaabiat Al Cartoon. The show presented some aspects of traditional life in the UAE in an edutainment style.

Khawla Al Serkal stressed that Our Heritage is a much anticipated event for the Club’s members and their children who annually rejoice on this night and usher in Ramadan with excitement. She added: “We seek through this activity to promote the traditional heritage of the country and to instil the UAE’s genuine values in the hearts and souls of youngsters to preserve these values for generations to come. At the same time we would like to remind mothers of the heritage traditions so that they pass them to their children.”

She clarified that hosting the Shaabiat Al Cartoon’s stage show for the first time in Sharjah was aimed at bringing joy to children and encouraging them to view art and cartoon shows inspired by Arab and Islamic heritage and traditions. She added that the show combined education with fun and helped children to cling to the UAE’s traditions and customs.

The celebration included henna painting and taking memorial photos with Shaabiat Al Cartoon characters, pottery painting, face painting, sand painting, and some heritage themed games inspired by the local environment.

At the end of the ceremony, the organising committee announced winners of the raffle draw who received their valuable prizes presented by sponsors: Tiffany, Baby Shop and Sharjah Cooperative Society. Gifts and sweets were distributed, also, to children and their mothers.